CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -John Fox was so concerned about making the right choice with the No. 2 pick in the 2002 draft that he watched hours and hours of film on Julius Peppers.

And it wasn't only football tape.

Fox, just hired as coach of the Carolina Panthers, was trying to determine if Peppers, a freakish athlete, didn't play hard on every down.

``That was the knock,'' Fox recalled this week. ``We worked probably as hard on that pick as I've ever been a part of in terms of research. Typically, you only grade about four games, but we looked at every game. We looked at basketball tape. We interviewed countless number of people and it never came up.''

Basketball tape?

``It was pretty impressive,'' Fox said. ``There's an aggression level that you got to see, playing basketball.''

Peppers, who played both sports at North Carolina, ended up being the Panthers' choice on draft day. And after two Pro Bowl seasons and the start of a 2006 campaign that sees Peppers tied with Philadelphia's Trent Cole for the NFL lead with six sacks, Fox knows he made the right choice.

``I don't like getting overly flowery, but he's one of the better players I've ever seen on defense, and I've been around for a little bit,'' Fox said.

Ask players and coaches about Peppers and you usually get the same initial response: They shake their heads. Peppers, at 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds, has the athletic skills and quickness of an NBA small forward, but the strength and toughness of any of the best defensive linemen in the NFL.

``In the years I've been in the league, I don't think I've ever seen any defensive player be able to dominate a game the way Julius does,'' teammate Al Wallace said. ``How many times in a row is he hitting the quarterback? It's incredible. I catch myself trying to watch him to see what he's doing. He's absolutely the most amazing defensive player I've seen in my lifetime.''

Trying to get Peppers to talk about himself is a tall task. When reporters go into the locker room for interviews on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Peppers hides in the training room. He says little to his teammates, but he's monster on game days.

``I'm just doing what I'm supposed to,'' Peppers said after last Sunday's game.

Peppers is coming off perhaps the best game of his career. He had only one sack, but he forced a fumble, had four quarterback hurries and hit quarterback Charlie Frye five times in Carolina's 20-12 win over Cleveland.

Browns right tackle Ryan Tucker had the task of trying to block Peppers.

``He's got the ability to completely cover the whole field,'' Tucker said. ``You saw on that last play we locked him down inside and somehow he hit Charlie on the sideline. That's what kind of player he is.''

But perhaps the play that best displayed Peppers' athletic ability occurred as he attempted to rush the passer and was blocked. Seeing Frye scramble out of the pocket away from him, Peppers dropped back into coverage - and broke up the pass 15 yards downfield.

``Oh gosh, he's got it all,'' said Baltimore coach Brian Billick, whose Ravens face Peppers and the Panthers this Sunday. ``He's athletic. He has size, explosion, strength. He transitions from recognition to action as quick as any defensive lineman I've seen. Now you add to it the veteran perspective he has, the anticipation on top of those incredible physical skills, it makes him pretty spectacular.''

The Panthers use Peppers on special teams as well, and he's blocked two field goals this season. His five blocked kicks since 2002 rank second in the league behind Detroit's Shaun Rogers, who has six.

``Julius is not real high as far as a verbal guy,'' Fox said. ``Yet when he speaks it's something that needs to be heard. He leads so much by example in how he conducts himself on and off the field.''

Fox said Peppers playing college basketball delayed his development because he missed offseason workouts and parts of spring practice. But his college coach, John Bunting, never doubted Peppers would dominate in the NFL.

``Tremendous gifts, but as I've always said, unbelievable work ethic and want-to,'' Bunting said. ``I think Julius got tougher in our football program. But more importantly he has a gift: size, speed, change of direction, strength. He's a natural great basketball player and rebounder. But the thing I've always said about Julius that I like the best about him is, gosh, does he love to play. He's fearless and he loves to play.''

Peppers appears on his way to another Pro Bowl berth and is an early contender for defensive player of the year, but Fox is quick to point out Peppers' success is due to more than just his unique athletic ability.

``That's a part of it, but as I said before, all these guys have talent,'' Fox said. ``What separates Tiger Woods or what separates Lance Armstrong? There's just something there. It's not just the ability.''

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